Hamid admits receiving funds outside monthly salary at KPU<\/p>\n
Rendi A. Witular and Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Justice minister and former General Elections Commission (KPU)
\nmember Hamid Awaluddin admitted on Thursday receiving a large
\namount of money from the commission outside his monthly salary.<\/p>\n
Other KPU members and staffers enjoyed the same benefits, he
\nsaid, but added that he did not know whether the money they
\nreceived was derived from funds collected by partner firms
\nsupplying election materials as kickbacks.<\/p>\n
Hamid was responding to accusations by KPU treasurer Hamdani
\nAmin that the current minister of justice and human rights and
\nother KPU members had each received some US$105,000 from the
\npartner companies.<\/p>\n
However, Hamid quickly explained that the money he received
\nwas in the form of an honorarium paid for his participation in
\nspecific working groups or other activities related to the
\ngeneral elections.<\/p>\n
\"For example, like the preparations for political party
\ncampaigns, vote counting or public information campaigns for the
\nelections,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Such payments, he added, were traceable and could be accounted
\nfor because all the KPU members and staffers received similar
\npayments from the commission's treasurer.<\/p>\n
Asked if he knew whether the funds were disbursed legally,
\nHamid said he did not know, but asserted that the disbursement of
\nthe funds could be accounted for.<\/p>\n
\"And no, the total amount did not reach billions, or even
\nhundreds of millions. That's an exaggeration. The amount varied
\ndepending on the length and intensity of the work. Sometimes I
\ngot Rp 590,000, Rp 700,000, Rp 1.2 million, or Rp 2 million,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Other KPU members also reiterated on Thursday their innocence
\nin the disbursement of the funds, although several officials from
\nthe KPU secretary-general's office have said otherwise.<\/p>\n
Part of the funds was believed to have been used by KPU member
\nMulyana W. Kusumah to bribe a state auditor to alter audit
\nresults involving trillions of rupiah spent for last year's
\nlegislative election.<\/p>\n
Similarly, KPU chief Nazaruddin Sjamsuddin again denied any
\nwrongdoing in the bribery case, saying the money must have been
\nfrom Mulyana's own pocket and thus had never been discussed in
\nany KPU meeting as claimed by Hamdani.<\/p>\n
\"I can't prohibit my subordinates from doing something or from
\nnot doing something. Yes, I heard about a plan to bribe BPK
\nauditors, but I did not hear it explicitly. It is impossible that
\nI would order one of my members to commit a crime in which I
\ndidn't have any kind of interest,\" Nazaruddin said.<\/p>\n
He also refused to say if he had any knowledge of tactical
\nfunds or compensation funds received from KPU suppliers.<\/p>\n
\"If we had not discussed the funds, how could I know? If the
\nsuppliers personally gave such compensation funds to KPU members,
\nhow would I know? We never discussed it in KPU plenary meetings,\"
\nNazaruddin said.<\/p>\n
Other members, Daan Dimara and Anas Urbaningrum, also refuted
\nthe accusations.<\/p>\n
Speaking to journalists after being questioned by the
\nCorruption Eradication Commission (KPK), Anas said he was quizzed
\nin connection with his position as a KPU member and his role in
\nlast year's general elections.<\/p>\n
During the questioning, Anas submitted his latest wealth
\nreport to the KPK, but refused to elaborate.<\/p>\n
Also quizzed on Thursday were financial bureau deputy head N.
\nDentjik, election execution technical bureau head Maksum Wijaya
\nKusuma, and two staffers in the provision of ballot boxes,
\nSuparno and Asrudi Tjriono.<\/p>",
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